Institutions of work, leadership and culture
Work, leadership, institutions, and culture are interrelated and are an integral part of positive psychology. All people tend to identify with work. People even introduce other people, like: “This is Maria, a psychologist.” If people do not work and do not earn money, their self-esteem decreases. Work does or does not add purpose to life. Work, whether paid or not, is a big part of life. Even if people were financially free, they would still do something with their time, after they get all the fun and travel out of their system. Therefore, happiness at work transfers and contributes to people’s happiness in life. Work naturally shapes people’s networks or circles of influence, as humans like to group with people who share commonalities with their work, industry, and professional experiences.
Also, studies show that satisfied workers have higher job titles than dissatisfied workers. Employers like high-energy workers because they are effective, get tasks done in less time, and don’t use sick days. Most coaches agree with Myers’ findings, as they see these results in the organizational training they do. Workers who live free from chaos, stay organized, complete tasks in less time than workers who are undisciplined and chaotic. Everyone can think of a time when he or she has felt overwhelmed, as a result of too much work, and is unable to function and think intelligently. Individuals may also think of times when they were not stimulated at work; his work was repetitive and meaningless. Studies have shown that workers who thrive are those who continually face significant challenges, so work can become fun and play.
Karl Marx pointed out the importance of expressing oneself at work, for job satisfaction. Also, there has to be value in what people do. All jobs are necessary and each person needs others to be able to work and live. A vital skill is being able to transform perceived threats into healthy challenges. Another way to happiness in work and life is to live intentionally and take charge, instead of reacting to what the Universe can bring us. It is important to set intentions. General well-being depends on conscious challenges.
Additionally, using the principles of Positive Psychology, individuals can design positive interventions to achieve goals, including work and organizational goals. The success of the workers depends on the motivation and the maximization of their own potentials. People accept changes conditionally, depending on whether they make sense to them. Gradual changes are more successful than drastic changes (Aspinwall and Staudinger 2003). Often, people implementing change have little understanding of psychology, and if they did, not only would changes happen smoothly, but organizations as a whole would be more profitable. It is the duty of psychologists to educate organizations on the psychological principles that govern businesses that are made by people!
Politics, the economy and society as a whole also need psychology. Aspinwall and Staudinger encourage the introduction of science markets, where psychologists unite other professionals -non-psychologists- and psychology. In this way, the solutions could be formulated together, thanks to the fact that psychologists offer the results of their investigations. Once solutions are found, social engineers would carry them out. Positive Psychology has the power to optimize processes and services.
Furthermore, it is crucial that people are used for their strengths for their own benefit and the benefit of society at large. When people use their own strengths, they become inherently happy and optimistic. Positive Psychology involves positive emotions, positive traits of people, and positive institutions, such as work, leadership, and culture.
Additionally, more and more academic articles are emphasizing the importance of happiness at work, and slowly but surely, more organizations are taking notice and making it their goal and mission with employees. To create positive institutions, it is important not to keep secrets, to follow a mission, and to have effective conflict resolution skills. According to Seligman, there are five traits for positive institutions: continuing to grow, modeled by the CEO, being greater than the sum of the parts, empowering to make decisions, and being clear with the mission or purpose. Positive leaders create positive companies and institutions. Positive leaders understand the power to find meaning at work, the power to recognize the successes of workers at all times and give their power to others.
Again, positive, positive energy is contagious, because, from a quantum physics perspective, everything is energy. Therefore, people tend to gravitate towards positive other people, positive leaders, positive teams, positive institutions, and positive cultures. The proposed model for linking positive psychology and business, to make businesses successful and sustainable, is to center them on VIA’s Human Strengths. Institutions or organizations are seen as micro-societies and micro-communities that expand outwards. Coming from strength or love, in the face of lack or fear, it always produces much better results. Change is about strength. All these principles could be summed up by saying that it is best to see, focus and bring out the best in people. Again, these principles are true in different cultures throughout the world.
Finally, Positive Psychology can be confused with self-help. It is not, as it is based solely on solid research findings, that it supports any thought or hypothesis. According to research from Positive Psychology, the most effective and authentic leadership shares the same values and happiness. The most rewarding job lies in sharing the same organizational culture. The expectations that positive leaders have of themselves are the same or consistent with their expectations of other workers. Similarly, leaders who understand positive psychology are well positioned to create optimism, positive change, and a positive organizational culture.
References
Aspinwall, G., L. & Staudinger, U., M. (2003), A Psychology of Human Strengths, APA, 149-164.